Free games of the week

The best freebies from the last seven days.

The Librarian by Octavi Navarro

Overdue books are the least of your concerns in Octavi Navarro's brilliant The Librarian, the second beautiful point and click adventure from the acclaimed pixel artist. The Librarian is a notably bigger and more complex adventure game when compared to Navarro's previous freebie, Midnight Scenes: The Highway, with more scenes, more impressive visual effects, and environments that blends 2D and 3D elements.

Technology aside, this is an inspired point and click set in a lightly sketched fantasy world full of strange practices, and supernatural creatures. There's no dialogue, but there's a palpably creepy atmosphere, and several satisfying puzzles to solve.

Here Comes the Bride by Paul Nicholas

A small, fun take on the middle part of Kill Bill: Volume One, when The Bride faces off against a seemingly endless procession of Lucy Liu's murderous goons. In tiny pixels, and with only a couple of action buttons, many of the elements that make that scene great have been successfully carried across to this stylish side-on action game. (Via Warp Door.)

Sea Salt (demo) by YCJY

I'm intrigued to see the full version of this clever tactical action game, which is reminiscent of Overlord and Syndicate. In most Lovecraftian games, you play as a (probably doomed) hero, but here you're a swarm of 'orrible beasties from under the sea, on a mission to murder every human in a seaside town. As in Overlord, you sweep this swarm around the screen by directing it here and there and, by and large, it will go exactly where you tell it, eviscerating any hapless people that get in its way. Controlling that swarm feels fantastic, especially after you've used the summoning circles to bring in reinforcements, while the gorgeous pixel art gives you a good reason to explore each sizable screen.

Umfend by Aihasto

First-person, jumpy horrors are all the rage in the freeware world, but Umfend is more substantial and a bit scarier than most. Trapped in your small flat, there's a hint of P.T., and a soupcon of Silent Hill 4: The Room to this strange story of an amateur scientist who's being terrorised by a spooky ghost.

Sort Your Life Out by Rosa Carbo-Mascarell

Sorting one's life out is far easier said than done, of course, but it's something that the stars of this well-written text adventure talk around as they chat about the issues shaping their lives. The story is told via a series of text or chat messages, and it's testament to the quality of the writing that the conversation feels like a genuine digital chinwag between two friends. It's a funny, well-paced conversation as well, so what on earth are you waiting for: go and Sort Your Life Out, right now.